Highway Bookstore has stood quietly in Ganderbal since 2001. Long before reels replaced pages and screens replaced shelves, it was a place where readers walked in looking for magazines, religious texts, and books that demanded time and patience. For more than two decades, the shop has witnessed the slow transformation of reading culture in the town—sometimes hopeful, often worrying.
“There was a time when reading was much better than it is today,” the bookseller recalls. Earlier, people regularly bought magazines and books related to religion. Reading was not rushed; it was a habit. But today’s generation, he feels, is different. Books struggle to compete with movies, short videos, and the instant pleasure of social media. “Watching reels and films is more enjoyable for them,” he says, “so books are slowly being left behind.”
Yet the idea of reviving reading culture is not lost on him. He believes that communities can play a powerful role—spaces where people come together to talk about books, ideas, and literature. He remembers Adbi Markaz Kamraaz, a literary community that once organised programmes and discussions. Whether it still exists or not is uncertain, but its absence is felt. “In today’s world, everyone is busy,” he adds, “and that busyness leaves very little room for books.”
When asked about the difference between generations, his answer is balanced. The younger generation, he says, is deeply occupied with social media, films, and web series. But not all is lost. “A few people still come and buy books,” he smiles. “So it’s a mix—readers and non-readers living side by side.”
In an age dominated by digital reading, the role of physical bookstores remains crucial. Many readers, he explains, simply cannot connect with online reading. Some prefer the feel of paper; others want to build small personal libraries at home. Religious texts especially—like the Quran or Sahih Bukhari—are still largely preferred in print. “We have to keep this alive,” he insists. “Books cannot disappear.”
Writers, according to him, are the backbone of any reading culture. A writer is always a reader first, and through their work, they inspire others to read. Writers from Ganderbal, and Kashmir at large, carry the responsibility of motivating people simply by continuing to write, publish, and speak through their words.
His message to the people of Ganderbal is simple, almost humble: “Read at least five pages a day.” For him, reading is not just a hobby—it is a duty. Kashmir, he reminds us, is part of a vast and rich literary tradition. Keeping that tradition alive is not only the work of writers or booksellers, but of readers too.
As the shelves of Highway Bookstore continue to hold their ground against the glow of screens, they quietly wait—for hands that still believe in turning pages.
